Odd Beasties
by Rick Peterson
Summary: A series of stand-alone short stories set in the Leviathan universe with no connection to any of my other works, or even  for the most part  with each other.  Mostly about Alek and Deryn.


The Reveal, Take Two

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All characters, fabrications, walkers, tesla cannon and the like are the property of Scott Westerfield. No money is being made on this story and no copyright infringement is intended.

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A/N: Written pre-Goliath

"Ah, Mr. Sharp, about time." Mr. Hirst wiped his hands on a rag. "I need to check the progress on the starboard engine. You take over here."

Deryn looked down at where Alek, only his feet showing, was working under the port engine. "Yes, sir."

She climbed down the ratlines into the engine pod as the Leviathan's chief engineer climbed out. As soon as the man was out of sight, she lightly kicked one of Alek's feet. The boy pulled himself out from under the engine, looking annoyed until he saw Deryn. He grinned.

"Dylan!" He looked around. "Where's Mr. Hirst?"

"Blisters, Alek, you can be barking oblivious!"

He shrugged, unrepentant. "I was focused on the engine. So you've taken his place?"

"Aye. Not sure what I'm supposed to do. Keep you from sabotaging the engines, I suppose."

Alek looked indignant. "This is a Austro-Daimler twelve-cylinder, 27-liter, fuel-injected diesel. It would be an act of sacrilege to sabotage it."

He held his indignation for a moment longer, before they both burst into laughter.

"In any case," Alek grinned, "there are a dozen different ways I could disable the engine without you ever knowing it was deliberate."

"Probably," Dylan agreed.

"If you are going to be here, you might as well make yourself useful. Start the engine, will you? Just on idle."

Alek slid back under the engine, while Deryn moved over to the controls. The engine sputtered to life, but even she could tell it was running roughly.

Alek pulled himself out from under the engine and made a slashing motion in front of his throat. Dylan shut it off.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing much, it's the starboard engine that's not working. Since we have to shut this engine down anyway, or fly around in circles, Klopp thought it a good idea for me to do some maintenance while he is busy with the other one. At least, that's all it was supposed to be, but there's a problem with the timing."

He put his head back under the engine and stretched out a hand towards her. "Could you hand me that wrench?"

Deryn glanced around. There was no one closer than the spine of the airship; they could talk undisturbed. That was a rare thing aboard an airship, even one the size of the Leviathan, with a hundred men (and two women) crammed aboard.

"Actually, Alek, I have something I want to tell you."

"Of course, Dylan, but can you hand me the wrench? That way I can work while we talk."

Deryn rolled her eyes. "I'd like to see your barking face while I say this!"

Alek pulled himself out from under the engine and sat up, looking at her quizzically. "It's important, then?"

Deryn nodded and opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Alek furrowed his brow. "You can tell me anything, Dylan. You know that."

She nodded and said quickly, before she could change her mind, "I'm really a girl. I pretended to be a boy so I could join the Air Service. I have to fly, Dylan, I think I'd shrivel up and die if I couldn't."

Alek blinked and nodded solemnly. "All right, Dylan." He blinked again. "I suppose that's not your real name."

"It's Deryn."

Alek nodded again. "Deryn, then. Could you hand me the wrench? I need to get this fixed."

Deryn goggled. "That's it? I tell you my most important secret and all you can say is, hand me the wrench?"

Then she saw the smirk on his face. "Alek, you bum-rag, you already knew."

The smirk turned into a grin.

"When? How?"

"A few days out from Istanbul. It was something Dr. Barlow said."

"She knows I'm a girl?" Deryn squeaked.

Alek shook his head and the grin turned mischievous. "She thinks you are homosexual. Actually, she thinks we are both homosexuals and that we have feelings for each other."

Deryn's jaw dropped and she gaped at him. He nodded, clearly amused.

"Shortly after we left Istanbul, she told me that homosexuality was perfectly natural. Just dropped it into the middle of a conversation as if it was pleasant chit-chat. She didn't mention names, but it was obvious she meant us. Said something about overcrowding and birthrates, but I wasn't paying much attention by that point. The notion that you were homosexual explained quite a lot: the way Volger said, '_Mr._ Sharp' as if it was an insult, the way Bovril keeps repeating it as if it is important, how appalled you were at Lilit fancying you, the slightly effeminate cast to your features…"

Deryn rolled her eyes. "Homosexuals don't look any different from everybody else, Dummkopf."

"Really? I'm sure I heard that…"

"You Clankers don't know anything about biology, do you?"

Alek looked momentarily offended, then shrugged. "Not as much as you Darwinists, I admit."

He looked at her very seriously. "The thought that you were homosexual was very uncomfortable, let alone that you had feelings for me. I'm afraid I avoided you while I sorted through things. I hope you weren't very hurt by it."

Deryn remembered that; but it had only been a couple of days and, by the time she started getting seriously concerned, everything was back to normal. Better than normal, actually; Alek was constantly smiling and seemed to want to spend every spare moment with her. Too bad free time was in such short supply aboard an airship.

"I knew she was at least partially wrong," Alek continued. "I knew I am not homosexual and that, of course, I did not have such feelings for you."

"Of course," she replied hollowly.

"Except that I began to realize I did, after all. It is like breathing, I suppose: you don't think about it, unless it is brought to your attention, and when you can't breathe… The longer I stayed away from you, the clearer my feelings became. I was very confused, for I knew I was not a homosexual."

"You keep saying that. Not that I'm arguing, but if you were attracted to someone you thought was a boy, how could you be so barking sure?"

Alek reddened. Deryn said flatly, "There was a girl back home, wasn't there?"

Alek's face answered her question. "Well, in a way."

"In a way? It seems a simple enough question – there was or there wasn't."

"There was a servant girl. I was fourteen; she was, I don't know, eighteen or nineteen, I think."

He was practically a babe, Deryn thought, furious. Couldn't she find someone her own age? She should be ashamed!

"She was very kind; I'm sure I acted like a fool, but she never laughed. She simply ignored my infatuation and treated me normally." He paused. "She was very pretty."

"With big diddies," Deryn said bitterly. Of course. Her own were practically non-existent.

"If I understand your meaning, then yes. Volger caught me 'mooning around after her,' as he termed it." Alek's face got even redder. "He told me she would do well enough for a bit of fun, but to be sure not to get her pregnant."

"That bum-rag!" Her indignation immediately transferred to the count.

"After that I was too embarrassed to even look at her, which I imagine was his intent. But you see, I knew I was attracted to girls, not boys."

"You can be attracted to both," Deryn pointed out. "It happens that way sometimes."

Alek looked completely taken aback. "Truly?"

Deryn nodded.

Alek swallowed. At length, he said, "I am glad I didn't know that, as it would have made things even more confusing. Instead, it occurred to me that there was another possible explanation. So I watched you and started noticing things."

"Aye, and grinned like a loon the whole time."

"Did I? Well, you are prettier than Anna and closer in age; and the lady boffin seems to think you share my feelings."

"You think I'm pretty? Even though I've no diddies to speak of?"

Alek blinked. "I'll reserve judgment on your, uh, diddies," he said, blushing again. "But, yes, you are very pretty – even if you dress like a boy."

"Oh." Deryn couldn't help but smile; looking, she was sure, like a loon herself. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Alek looked down. "I could have been wrong, or Dr. Barrow could have been wrong – about your feelings, I mean – or we both could have been wrong; which would have been truly awful. But mostly, I was hoping my best friend would trust me enough to tell me herself."

"I'm sorry! I trust you, but… I remember what you said about Lilit: if you liked her, you'd have to run a mile. And I just couldn't manage, if you did; it'd be as bad as not flying."

Alek looked at her consideringly. Finally, he smiled. "It would be a bit hard to run a mile on an airship. Even the Leviathan's not that big."

Deryn half-heartedly hit his shoulder. "That's not funny, Alek!" She relaxed a bit. He wouldn't be joking, if he was really upset.

He turned serious. "You don't see me running, do you?"

She gave him a rather misty smile. "I guess not."

"Well, then." He smiled back. "I do need to ask you something, Dyl… Deryn."

"Aye?" This sounded hopeful.

He smirked and slipped partway under the engine, his hand out towards her. "Will you hand me that wrench now?"

…

"ALEK! YOU BUM-RAG!"

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End of Chapter

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Chapter Notes:

I assume, since Darwinists are "plain-spoken on matters of biology, to the point of being vulgar," Deryn would know some basic facts about homosexuality and bisexuality.

Dr. Barlow's comment about overcrowding and homosexuality actually comes from a theory based on experiments with lab rats. So it's not as ridiculous as it sounds, although extrapolating from rats to humans… And yes, if I use homosexuality in another "Reveal," I will have her expound yet another theory, if I can find a good one.


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